400 meters: keeping it simple

An interview with Rick Riddle
 
Editor’s note: Coach Rick Riddle is currently “perfecting the art of running” the 400 meters. Back in 2011, he covered this topic for the Houston Elite Track & Field Club’s newsletter. Today I’m using a rather snarky Q&A format to revisit his ideas.  
 
Leah Rewolinski
The Villages TLC blog editor
 
 
You seem awfully happy to be a 400-meter runner. How come?
 
Yes, I am happy. I discovered that the key is to think simply. This might seem unflattering; few of us want to be called “simple.” However, I’ve earned my right to this opinion, since I have been working on my 400 race for several years.
 
I have also discovered that the 400-meter race can be painful when executed with courage.
 
“Can be painful”? I just Googled “400-meter race,” and the first 10,000 results include the keyword “pain.”  
 
Ah, pain – I knew you’d bring that up.  
 
Actually, you started it.
 
Hmmm, so I did. Well, pain is the elephant in the room, and I’ll get back to it once I finish explaining what the 400 has taught me.  
 
I learned that attempting to finish the 400 at the pace we began is a trick best left to my good friend and teammate “One Speed Charlie,” a.k.a. Charles Allie. [Click here to watch an interview with Charles.] The secret of Charlie’s achievement is as elusive as a winning lottery ticket.
 
Let’s assume none of us win the lottery. What’s the next best thing for a successful 400?  
 
Appreciate its simplicity. Unlike the rest of our lives, the 400 meters is constant and unchanging. It remains one loop, uncomplicated by positioning as in the 800 and other, longer races. I hold the 400 in reverence. If it were a more complicated race, its magic would be diminished.
 
I can measure progress in simple terms, as in: Did I finish sooner than I did the last time I tried? Of course, all track races are like that, but the 400 allows more people into the club. If you’re not as fast as Charles Allie, you may still train for strength and exceptional fitness – and be successful. If you are as fast as Charles, the equation is unchanged. You still train for strength and exceptional fitness.
 
Many runners fear the 400. Why don’t you?  
 
I did at one time, like everyone else who attempts to master the 400 race. It’s filled with pain. Pain is an old friend at this point. I learned it exists, but I don’t have to fear it. After all, the pain is less than 60 seconds…
 
…ahem – Mr. Humblebrag: for some of us the 400 lasts somewhere around 60 minutes.
 
Cut me some slack, woman! I’m still reminiscing about races I ran more than 10 years ago. Now, where was I? Oh, yes: the race itself is short, but the soreness and fatigue are only – oh, wait a minute, those last a good while longer, but never mind. It’s still a simple concept: it hurts to do it well, and that will always go unchanged.
 
Perhaps a keener mind would say this is stupid, not just simple. I prefer to think I can face the recurring challenge day after day. The rules never change. Yes, pain and all, because I learned I can master the pain and I can master the fatigue. I can train until I no longer fear the effort. Oddly enough, that makes me happy.
 
Can you relate to someone running their first-ever 400? 
 
Of course. I remember the first time I raced 400 meters, collapsing in a pitiful heap on the infield. I was sure that oxygen had taken a holiday from Earth at my dying expense. I swore “never again,” just as everyone does.
 
Then I did it again, like a man who sticks his hand in the flame a second time to confirm the pain is real.
 
Well…
 
Yes, go ahead. Say it. Say it!
 
Well, duh!
 
Right, it does sound stupid to say it out loud, especially if someone is listening. These days I stick my hand into the flame again and again, understanding that pain can’t own me if I don’t fear it. I won’t pretend I’m intelligent for falling in love with the 400 meters. But that single loop of accomplishment can make my life feel real.
 
Our digital world changes in a blink and promotes virtual reality as preferable to reality itself. But the 400 brings my focus back to simple concepts like conquering gravity without space boots, accompanied by a feeling that quickly becomes very real, for a single demanding and satisfying loop.
 
That’s remarkably poetic. Maybe your brain is getting enough oxygen after all.
 
Thanks – I think. 
 
Here’s another way to view this topic. A young friend once asked the British philosopher Bertrand Russell why he was looking so thoughtful. “I’ve made an odd discovery,” replied Russell. “Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure that happiness is no longer a possibility. Yet when I talk to my gardener, I’m convinced of the opposite.”
 
Run one loop as fast as you can? For reasons of simplicity, it makes me happy. Call me simple if you will. I consider it a compliment.
 
Adapted from newsletter Copyright © 2011 Houston Elite Track & Field Club. Reprinted with permission.
 
Editor’s note: Here’s an overview of Rick’s remarkable 400-meter accomplishments.
 
2009 OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES
age 55 - 59
400-meter USA ranking #10
USATF National Championships, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
400 meters, 58.57 – Bronze Medal

World Masters Games, Sydney, Australia
4x400 Relay, 3:54.88  Team USA – Gold Medal

National Senior Games, San Francisco, California
400 meters, 59.39 – Silver Medal

2010 OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES
age 55 - 59
400-meter USA ranking #5
USATF National Championships, Sacramento, California
400 meters, 56.93 – Bronze Medal

2010 INDOOR PERFORMANCES
age 55 - 59
400-meter USA ranking #7
USATF Masters National Championships, Boston, Massachusetts
400 meters, 58.31 – Bronze Medal

2011 OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES
age 55 - 59
400-meter USA ranking #9
USATF Masters National Championships, Berea, Ohio
400 meters, 57.96 – Gold Medal

National Senior Games, Houston, Texas
400 meters, 59.59 – Silver Medal

2012 INDOOR PERFORMANCES
age 60 - 64
400-meter USA ranking #4
USATF Masters National Championships, Indianapolis, Indiana
400 meters, 59.39 – Bronze Medal

2013 INDOOR PERFORMANCES
age 60 - 64
Milrose Games, New York City, New York
4x400 Relay, 3:59.09, Team Houston Elite – Gold Medalist
WORLD RECORD 

2014 INDOOR PERFORMANCES
age 60 - 64
400-meter USA ranking #5
USATF Masters National Championships, Boston, Massachusetts
400 meters, 61.17 – 4th

4x400 Relay, 3:58.03, Team Houston Elite – Gold Medalist
WORLD RECORD 

World Masters Athletics Championships, Budapest, Hungary
400 meters, 62.03 – 4th

A final note: part 3 of Stan Druckrey's series will appear soon.